German artist Gerhard Richter (born 1932) is considered one of the most significant and challenging artists of the last quarter-century. His diverse paintings cover a range of artistic genres, from Realism and Naturalism to Impressionism, Pop Art, Conceptualism, and Post-Abstract Expressionism. Richter often painted from photographs, either clipped from newspapers and various other sources or shot by the artist himself, and worked mainly in groups of paintings numbered sequentially.

In Richter's portrayals, one always senses a sense of faith coupled with cruelty. For instance, nature to Richter is at once sublime but indifferent to the human condition, and popular culture transforms people who would otherwise think as individuals into submissive followers. His works furthermore contain a darkness and reveal a mistrust of any sort of dogma. However, faith and beauty remain underlying elements. Indeed, Richter sees art as the highest form of hope. "I constantly despair at my own...